Biomarkers of inflammation across the lung to brain axis as mediators of the adverse impacts of air pollution on brain health

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Recent epidemiological evidence has demonstrated neurological impacts of air pollution exposure across the life course, from early cognitive deficits in childhood, to poor mental health across adolescence to adulthood and increased dementia risk in old age. In this proposal we will investigate whether the adverse effects of air pollution are mediated via a lung to brain axis. We propose that pulmonary inflammation following inhalation of pollutant aerosols drives systemic responses that are translated to the brain across the blood brain barrier. This PhD aligns with the UKRI funded 'Hazard Identification Platform to Assess the Health Impacts from Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollutant Exposures, through Mechanistic Toxicology' project, in which aged individuals will be exposed to different source specific pollutant aerosols: diesel exhaust, woodsmoke and semi organic aerosol and cooking aerosols. Blood and nasal lavage samples from these individuals will be analysed for both established markers of systemic and neuroinflammation. In addition samples will be used to investigate novel biomarkers of exposure and response using LC-MS/NMR metabolomic approaches and analysis of circulating microRNA. This project will be delivered under the MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Molecular Signatures and Disease Pathways theme, building on the previous EU funded Exposomics project. It is envisaged that the project will have an equal split between lab-based analysis and bioinformatics/advanced statistical analysis.